Important Facts for Birth Outcomes: Sex Ratio at Birth

Definition

The ratio of total males/total females born in a geographic area at a certain time.

Numerator

The total number of full-term, singleton male infants born in a specified geographic area during and time period.

Denominator

The total number of full-term, singleton female infants born in a specified geographic area during and time period.

Why Is This Important?

Population growth is, in part, related to the number of live male children. Numerous studies have reported changes in the ratio of males to females at birth; many of the studies have found a reduction in male relative to female births in different countries throughout the world. Although the mechanism which determines the sex of the infant is not completely understood, some, but not all, have suggested that environmental hazards can affect how many males are born. Biological parent(s) and/or the fetus can come in contact with and become exposed to different hazards referred to as endocrine disruptors. Fewer males are conceived when exposure to endocrine disruptors results in a decrease in testosterone. Because states have accurate Vital Statistics (VS) records on the sex of live births, changes over time in the sex ratio of infants can be measured as the ratio of males to females.

NM DOH

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Sun, 02 August 2015
from New Mexico Department of Health, Indicator-Based
Information System for Public Health Web site: http://ibis.health.state.nm.us".